Better Late Than Never

House of Cards

And Other Shows I am Way Behind On

So this blog entry is going to seem a bit behind on the times, but I am a very busy person and I cannot find the time to watch a lot of t.v. I don't say that to seem like some all important snob. I would love to be able to watch all of the shows that everyone is talking about all the time, but no matter how hard I try it seems like I am always behind. The only show that I watch the day it comes out is Game of Thrones and that is so I can talk about it with my partner because I have read all of the books and I don't want to spoil it for them, but it is really hard to keep my mouth shut.

My partner and I just finished season 2 of House of Cards and it was amazing. I don't know how we managed to avoid spoilers especially because all of my family and friends watch the show. I will not put any spoilers in my post because there are probably lots of people out there like me trying to get caught up.

So now that we have finally finished House of Cards we are going to start watching True Detective and maybe just maybe finish the last season of Breaking Bad.

Leave a comment and tell me what shows you are trying to catch up with and avoid spoilers on. :)

Artisan Designers

Support Small Artisan Designers

Why you should make the switch

 I think with most designer labels today you are just paying for the name.  Yes that person has worked hard and to make it to where they are but does that really translate to paying $500 for a white t-shirt? There are people who are willing to pay the price for designer labels and that’s fine, but I find it a bit show off when you see a woman with a purse emblazoned with a designer logo.  Somehow we have got it into our minds that money spent is equal to quality.

There are a lot of small shops out on the internet where people are making great quality items at a fraction of the cost of what you would pay for designer labels. The reason that they can charge less is not because they are not using quality materials or that there designs are not unique and fashion forward, but because they are generally doing all of the work themselves. They don’t have to pay for big name advertising or pay for store fronts, and their labor costs are very very low which translates to savings for you. The best part about buying from one of these artisan shops is you truly are getting something unique, these items are not mass produced.

I love jewelry and accessories, it is a simple yet stunning way to make any outfit special and unique. I think this is one area where you can truly get something unique in the handmade market for a great price, you just have to do a little digging to find it. There are websites like Etsy that in the beginning were full of small design shops where you could find handmade items, but over the years Etsy has changed their rules for who can open an Etsy shop. They now allow manufacturers, which is fine if a small shop has been successful and can now afford to pay staff to hand make their items, but unfortunately it is being abused by knock off resellers and mass produced items. There are still great artisan shops to be found, you just need to be diligent. When you contact one of these shops see if they allow custom orders. If they do it usually means that they are hand making each item.

Supporting artisan shops is good for everyone involved. The customer gets a one of a kind handmade item and the artisan who made it gets all of the money which they can use in their local economy and to grow their business.

The next time you have a bit of extra cash and want to treat yourself to something special, do a little searching and find that one of a kind shop or designer and support them.